Curio plant named ‘Blues’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of  Curio  plant named ‘Blues’ that is characterized by its compact plant habit, its very well-branched and compact plant habit, its upright growth habit, its blueish foliage color, and its long leaves with a fine texture.

Botanical classification: Curio ficoides.

Variety denomination: ‘Blues’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European Community Plant VarietyOffice (CPVO) Plant Breeder's Rights Application No. 2020/2633 filed onOct. 27, 2020, under 35 U.S.C. 119(f), the entire contents of which isincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Curioplant, botanically known as Curio ficoides ‘Blues’ and will be referredto hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘Blues’. The new cultivar of Curiois an herbaceous perennial grown for container and landscape use.

The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding programconducted by the Inventor in Westerbork, The Netherlands. The overallpurpose of the breeding program was to develop new cultivars of Curioplants with upright, compact, and well-branched growth habits combinedwith long leaves that are fine in texture and blue in color.

‘Blues’ arose from a cross made in September of 2015 by the Inventorbetween Curio ficoides ‘Mount Everest’ (not patented) as the femaleparent and an unpatented selection from the Inventor's breeding program,designated as accession number S1501K1 as the male parent. ‘Blues’ wasselected as a single unique plant by the Inventor in 2016 in Westerbork,The Netherlands.

Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished bycuttings in 2017 by the Inventor in Paterswolde, The Netherlands.Propagation by cuttings has shown that the unique features of the newcultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the characteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes incombination distinguish ‘Blues’ as a unique cultivar of Curio.

-   -   1. ‘Blues’ exhibits a very well-branched and compact plant        habit.    -   2. ‘Blues’ exhibits an upright growth habit.    -   3. ‘Blues’ exhibits blue foliage color.    -   4. ‘Blues’ exhibits long leaves with a fine texture.

The female parent is similar to ‘Blues’ in having foliage that is bluein color and an upright growth habit. The female parent differs from‘Blues’ in having larger leaves that are wider and thicker, a lesscompact plant habit, and has less branches. The male parent is similarto ‘Blues’ in foliage color but differs from ‘Blues’ in having finerleaves and a more compact plant habit. ‘Blues’ can be most closelycompared to Curio ficoides ‘AMICU1909’ (not patented). ‘AMICU1909’ issimilar to ‘Blues’ in having overall blueish color foliage. ‘AMICU1909’differs from ‘Blues’ in having a shorter plant height, foliage that hasa blend of green and grey colors with the blue color, and thickerleaves.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR

The Applicant asserts that no publications or advertisements relating tosales, offers for sale, or public distribution occurred more than oneyear prior to the effective filing date of this application. Anyinformation about the claimed plant would have been obtained from adirect or indirect disclosure from the Inventor. The Applicant claims aprior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/orsales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to theeffective filing date. Disclosure includes but may not be limited to awebsite listing by Floranews.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the overall appearance anddistinct characteristics of the new Curio. The plant in the photographis 1 year in age as grown from 3 cuttings in a 15-cm container in anunheated greenhouse in Waddinxveen, The Netherlands.

The photograph in FIG. 1 provides a view of the plant habit of ‘Blues’.

The photograph in FIG. 2 provides a close-up view of the foliage of‘Blues’.

The colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describethe colors of the new Curio.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of one-year-old plants grownwith 3 cuttings in 15-cm containers in an unheated greenhouse in Erica,The Netherlands. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary withvariations in environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions, as ithas not been tested under all possible environmental conditions. Thecolor determination is in accordance with The 2015 Colour Chart of TheRoyal Horticultural Society, London, England, except where general colorterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   General description:    -   -   Plant type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Plant habit.—Upright, compact.        -   Height and spread.—Reaches about 30 cm in height and 26 cm            in width as a one-year-old plant in a 15-cm container.        -   Hardiness.—At least in U.S.D.A. Zones 9a to 11b.        -   Diseases and pests.—No susceptibility to resistance to            diseases or pests has been observed.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, 162D in color.        -   Propagation.—Cuttings.        -   Growth habit.—Moderately vigorous.        -   Root development.—Cuttings root in about 20 days and fully            develop in 7-cm container in about 25 weeks.-   Stem description:    -   -   Shape.—Round.        -   Stem color.—NN137A with a waxy overlay closest to 188A.        -   Stem size.—Average of 17 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter.        -   Internode length.—An average of 5 mm.        -   Stem substance.—Succulent.        -   Stem surface.—Smooth, glabrous, waxy.        -   Branching habit.—Well-branched, 1 main stem per cutting and            an average of 10 lateral stems per container.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Leaf shape.—Ligulate, triangular in diameter.        -   Leaf substance.—Succulent.        -   Leaf division.—Simple.        -   Leaf base.—Cuneate.        -   Leaf apex.—Acute.        -   Leaf venation.—Parallel, upper and lower surface colors            match leaf coloration.        -   Leaf margins.—Entire.        -   Leaf aspect.—Slightly curved, upwards, held in an average            angle of 70° (90°=vertical).        -   Leaf arrangement.—Whorled.        -   Leaf surface.—All surfaces smooth, glabrous, waxy.        -   Leaf color.—Young upper and lower surface; base 144A, middle            to top 137C, waxy layer ranging between 122C and 188A,            mature upper and lower surface; base 144A, center to top            NN137A, waxy layer ranging between 122C and 188A.        -   Leaf size.—About 7 cm in length, 6 mm in width, 4 mm in            depth (thickness).        -   Leaf quantity.—Average of 36 per lateral stem.        -   Leaf attachment.—Sessile.-   Inflorescence description: No flowers have been produced to date.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Curio plant named‘Blues’ as described and illustrated herein.